Tech

Intel Core Processors May Soon Get Less Power Hungry

Everyone knows that with each successive generation of computer chips, they get more powerful and often more power efficient. But for the latest Intel processors, progress may come early.

Intel is planning to cut power demands in its current line of Core processors, known as Ivy Bridge, which serve as CPUs in most PCs and Macs sold today, CNETreports. While Intel was already planning to slash power consumption to the extreme in the next generation of processors, code named "Haswell" — the leaner Ivy Bridge chips — would presumably come much sooner than that

No date has been given for Haswell's release, although allegedly leaked roadmaps have pointed to mid-2013.

With better power efficiency, the new version of Ivy Bridge chips would be even more suitable for portable form factors such as tablets. Today, if a Windows PC manufacturer wants to build a tablet, it generally has three chip options:

An Intel Atom processor, which uses much less power than Core but at the price of some performance.

An ARM-based processor, which is extremely power efficient but won't let the user run apps designed for earlier versions of Windows.

If manufacturers could build tablets with Core processors without sacrificing portability or battery life, it would open up the possibility of even more "hybrid" designs — PCs that function as both a laptop and a tablet. Few Core-based hybrids have tablets that completely detach from their keyboards, mainly because of their power demands.

The coming Microsoft Surface Pro, due in January, is one of those designs. Although Microsoft hasn't specified exactly what chip is in the Surface Pro, it's expected to be a current Ivy Bridge processor, not one of the coming more power efficient designs.

Would you like to see more tablets with Intel Core chips, able work as full PCs? And would you buy a Surface Pro knowing more efficient chips are coming? Let us know in the comments.

BONUS: Intel Launches Ivy Bridge

Intel Ivy Brige Chips: The Advantages

Why Ivy Bridge?

Intel's 22-nanometer processor tech promises better performance, with more features (like security) built right into the chip. It consumes less power than previous designs and is up to twice as fast in visual applications.

13 Different Products

The first batch of Ivy Bridge chips includes 13 different products, all quad-core. The singular i7 at the top of this slide is an overclocked model for gaming PCs

3rd Generation Intel Core Processors

Ivy Bridge takes Intel's Core processor family into the third generation.

Improvements

Intel says the five main areas where the enhancements of Ivy Bridge will be felt are: Connectivity, Responsiveness, Visual Media, Media Editing/Transcoding and Security.

Responsiveness

Aside from better general system speed, users of Ivy Bridge machines will have the benefits of Intel tech that very quickly wakes up a machine from sleep mode.

Media Editing & Transcoding

Intel says transcoding video, or changing its format, on Ivy Bridge is up to twice as fast as the previous generation.

Visuals

Security

Intel has built security features right on the chip, enabling users to lock their PCs remotely, for example. With Ivy Bridge, you can even do so over 3G networks and use the GPS to find out where the machine is.

Multimedia Benefits

The area that will benefit the most from Ivy Bridge is visual media. Between the improved chip tech, the enhanced GPU and proprietary Intel features (outlined here), performance is said to be double that of the previous generation (Sandy Bridge).

Ivy Bridge vs. Sandy Bridge

A comparison of the media features between Ivy Bridge and its predecessor, Sandy Bridge.

All-in-Ones

Many of the PCs that will benefit from the initial rollout of Ivy Bridge are All-in-One designs.

Desktops and Laptops

More than 270 desktops and 300 laptops are in development to use Ivy Bridge processors.

3rd Generation Intel Core Processor, Retail Box

Ivy Bridge, the Chip

Here's what the die for the Ivy Bridge Core processor looks like.

The Chip in Detail

Ivy Bridge's quad-core chip architecture, broken down.

Ivy Bridge Core Wafer

Here's a wafer, the piece of seminconductor material the chips are cut from, full of Ivy Bridge Core chips.

Core Wafer, Head On

HP 'Bodie' 27

Shown in Intel's presentation, the HP "Bodie" 27 is an all-in-one design that will have an Ivy Bridge as an option. The product resembles HP's Omni 27 — the word "Bodie" may be an oversight.

The Future of Chip Tech

Going beyond Ivy Bridge, Intel is planning the next phase of 22nm chip technology, codenamed "Haswell," for 2013. It's also working on 14nm and 10nm designs in the lab.

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